An Albanian driving test candidate testified in court on Monday that an interpreter had pointed out the correct answers to a couple of questions in the theory test “so that [he] could pass.” 

The witness, who moved to Malta with his family over four years ago, had been urged by his employer at the Gozo-based company to obtain a Malta driving licence.

His Albanian licence had a one-year expiry and therefore a local licence would come in handy both for work and also for the worker’s private family life.

Euchar Vella, a director at the company where the Albanian worked, testified how he had personally complained to the relative ministry about the fact that theory driving tests were not available in Albanian.

Both employer and employee testified on Monday against Clint Mansueto, Philip Endrick Zammit and Raul Antonio Pace, three Transport Malta officials facing prosecution for alleged involvement in a driving test corruption case.

Since Vella’s employee could speak neither Maltese nor English at the time, he had a problem sitting for the theory test.

No Albanian translation was available.

A day after lodging his complaint, the director received a call from Transport Malta.

He was told that an interpreter would be made available, but he would have to pay for it. 

So on September 2, 2020, the employer paid the fee. He could not recall the exact amount but seemed to be under the impression that it was €70 or €120 which he had paid over the counter, Vella told the court.

He identified none of the accused in court today.

The Albanian candidate testified that on the day of the test, he first gave a few answers.

Before the test, he had learnt the questions in English and the translator spoke to him in English.

However, the translator stepped in, pointing out the right answers to two or three answers he had got wrong, “so I could pass,” explained the witness.

Officials later told him that his personal details on the application form, which he had not filled in, were wrong because his nationality was not put down as Albanian.

He passed the test and got his licence.

Another successful candidate was a Pakistani national who obtained his licence for both category B and D vehicles.

The man, who works as a minibus driver, testified that he had sat five times for his category B theory test, finally making it in October 2021.

His employer had booked the test for him online, while he personally went to a Floriana office to book a translation service during the test.

He paid a €60 fee for the service and got a receipt.

He had followed the same procedure when applying for his category D licence test, simply signing a form which was handed to him at the Floriana office.

Again he paid €60 or €65 each time.

He sat for that test three times, each time getting a different interpreter.

Although he had asked for a Pakistani interpreter, the translator spoke to him in English and the test was in English too.

Asked how he had managed, the witness explained that he knew the questions through experience as driver and when he could not understand some of the questions, the interpreter had simplified the wording in English.

An assistant manager from TM said that the only payment they received were from the Pakistani candidate January 28, 2020.

The TM system only showed one application.

The case continues in April.

Inspector Wayne Borg prosecuted, assisted by AG lawyer Abigail Caruana Vella.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri assisted Mansueto.

Lawyer Joe Giglio assisted Pace.

Lawyer Herman Mula assisted Zammit.